28824: Corbett (reply) 28821: Kathleen (reply) 28816 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Corbett replies:

I don't think the U.N. deserves a bad rap on this particular charge.

In the situaition in which Haiti is few nations, and Haiti is among them, 
would want to give up much independent authority to the U.N.  Haiti is 
not looking for someone to take over the country (though that may be a 
very good idea), but to help them out.

Thus the contracts and agreements they sign set explicit rules for what 
the U.N. folks may and may not do.  The people on the ground have to live 
with those rules.

Note that the Preval government had neither sent Haitian police to the 
area nor asked the U.N. to accompany them in (the U.N. role by rule).

Why not?

This I don't know but one reason might be they government is simply afraid 
to go in.

Another suggestion is that they even support the acts of the gangs.

And for not taking the U.N. in with them?  Well, it seems to me often the 
police do not want any outsiders to see what they are doing.

Haiti is in a desperate situation and it doesn't seem far removed from 
anarchy, at least in the Port-au-Prince area.

Bob Corbett